Universal Scientific Industrial (USI), a member of Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturing services provider ASE Technology Holding, has started production at its US$200 million plant in northern Vietnam, its first manufacturing base in Southeast Asia.

The facility, located at a Deep C industrial zone in Hai Phong City, will initially focus on manufacturing system-in-package modules for wearables. Shanghai-based USI has plans to double its investment in the regional hub to US$400 million when needed.

The company started construction of the plant in November 2020, covering a total area of 65,000 square metres. The first phase of the facility was put into use after USI received a production certificate for its wearable products. 

The firm expects the new plant to reach full capacity next year, with an annual output of more than 10 million modules and creating about 1,700 jobs for local people.

As USI completed just the first phase of the project, part of the land is reserved for other businesses. The company says the production base will also develop other EMS/ODM/JDM (electronics manufacturing services, original design manufacturer, joint design manufacturer) services based on customer needs.

Leveraging its parent company ASE’s technologies, USI plans to make diverse wireless, car electronics, and computer products at the facility. The company has sales networks across North America, Europe, and Asia and manufacturing facilities in China, Mexico, and Poland.

Deep C is an industrial real estate project backed by Belgian developer and operator Rent-A-Port, with five industrial zones taking up 3,400 hectares in total. Hai Phong is home to three of them, and the other two are in the nearby province of Quang Ninh.

The economic development triangle of capital Hanoi, Hai Phong and Quang Ninh comprises northern Vietnam’s most important economic region. Home to international airports, deep seaports, and an extended expressway network, the region has been witnessing a boom in manufacturing and infrastructure activities for years.